Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and a control method thereof.
Description of the Related Art
In a production flow of video content, generally, an image processing apparatus (for example, a personal computer) used differs from one process to another. Therefore, an intention of image processing (such as image quality adjustment) performed in a photographing process is conveyed to an editing process using a script. For example, contents of color adjustment performed in the photographing process are converted into scripts of a standardized ASC-CDL image processing procedure and outputted to the editing process together with an original video. In the editing process, advanced editing work is performed in consideration of the intention of the color adjustment performed in the photographing process by referring to a color adjustment result reproduced based on the delivered script.
Since scripts of the ASC-CDL image processing procedure described above are used by a wide variety of photographing and editing apparatuses, the scripts are standardized using only relatively simple image processing elements (ASC Technology Committee, Digital Intermediate Subcommittee ASC Color Decision List (ASC CDL) Transfer Functions and Interchange Syntax ASC-CDL_Release 1.2 Joshua Pines and David Reisner, 2009-05-04).
In addition, a technique is proposed for calculating a coefficient of a correction regression curve for each mesh of a table storing measured values (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-198046).
Furthermore, a technique is proposed for performing image processing by temporarily switching a lookup table to a single approximation circuit (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2008-301381).
According to the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-198046, a coefficient of each mesh may conceivably be transmitted from a preceding process to a following process. However, when there is a huge number of meshes, the amount of data to be transmitted is also huge. For example, performing complicated image processing such as stored color correction in a preceding process results in a huge amount of data to be transmitted.
In addition, according to the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2008-301381, a single relational expression representing input/output characteristics of a lookup table may conceivably be transmitted from a preceding process to a following process. However, when the input/output characteristics of the lookup table is complex, it is difficult to determine a single relational expression accurately representing such input/output characteristics. Therefore, when complicated image processing is performed in a preceding process, it is sometimes impossible to express a degree of the image processing using a script and, as a result, an intention of the image processing performed in a preceding process cannot be accurately conveyed to a following process.